come morning light
by seaweedbraens
Summary: annabeth likes percy, percy likes grey wind, and grey wind doesn't like typhoon. it's ridiculously, almost comically, tangled, because annabeth is grey wind and percy is typhoon. /a percabeth superhero au/


**a/u:** okay so this is a superhero au? with a lot of miraculous ladybug love square dynamics thrown in? i literally don't have an explanation omg. also characters might be ooc but please deal with my crappy writing, sorry.

* * *

 **come morning light;**

/

Percy only ever reads the newspaper, Annabeth has noticed, when Grey Wind is on the front, and it takes a lot of effort to yank the paper away.

She does this, now, because she actually cares about _other_ news, like political affairs and how the economy is doing. If she's being honest, then yes, there is a little bit of jealousy involved, but Annabeth has learned to shove those feelings down. Besides, seeing herself on the headlines makes her really uncomfortable.

"Hey, I wanna read more about her!" Percy squawks. He points at his glasses. "I even came prepared to read the article today."

"You literally know everything about her," Jason says. "It's getting a little creepy."

Across the table, Piper sends her a sympathetic look, but Annabeth responds only with a smile that screams _please shut up_. She's the only one, as far as Annabeth knows, who knows about her completely embarrassing crush on Percy, which Annabeth _hates_ , by the way. Percy's been her friend for a trillion years; they've been neighbors since they were like, eight, and she probably trusts him the most out of anyone. Having these... _feelings_ aren't ideal. She hates it when her palms get all sweaty around him and her heart starts to race; she's already forgotten how to act _normally_ around the guy _._ In short, crushes are stupid and Annabeth wants her feelings back in full.

Plus, Percy's a dumbass and a dork and he's totally got a huge crush on Grey Wind, the superhero. Which is also her. She's also fairly sure that he's never even _seen_ her while she's in her superhero form, but when she'd pointed this out, he'd only said, "When I _do_ meet her, I'm totally gonna —" and he had described to her, with a ridiculous amount of detail, just how he planned to sweep the superhero off her feet. It had taken all of her effort to stop herself from using her powers and disappearing on the spot.

"I can't help it," Percy grins, sighing dramatically. "She's so perfect. Have you _seen_ her legs?"

Annabeth looks down at her toast quickly as the other two settle in to listen to Percy go on and on about the hero again. She's not gonna lie: Annabeth has often thought of telling Percy that it's _her_ he's been gushing about all this time, if only just to see his reaction; her own feelings aside, Percy _is_ her best friend and they share everything, but she'd decided not to tell him this, for the same reason she hasn't told her parents, or Piper: it could put him in danger.

After another minute of his long winded list, Annabeth starts spacing out, just watching him talk as she drinks her orange juice.

"Hey, Wise Girl?" Percy, figuring Annabeth's mind had wandered off at some point during his rant, pokes her in the nose to get his attention. "Don't start ignoring me, asshole."

Annabeth shrugs, tossing a curl of blonde hair out of her face. "Oops."

"Coulda just told me you weren't interested in listening to me talk about my dumb crush," Percy says.

"It's not that I'm not interested," she protests weakly, even though she really, really isn't. It is _so_ weird hearing her crush go on and on about her _to_ her while not meaning the her that he is talking to. "It's just that you've said all of that to me. Many times. And you don't even know her."

"That's not..." Percy opens and shuts his mouth like a fish. "I mean, it's not weird to have a crush on someone that's famous. I think that's pretty normal, and it's not like I'm like, cosplaying her and stuff."

"Please don't," Annabeth says quickly. She takes a sip of her juice. "If you're gonna cosplay a superhero, do, I dunno, that Typhoon guy. Or something."

"I dunno, we'll see. I'd probably do it if I got to see his entire face. I'm pretty sure it's fucking gorgeous."

"Dude, you're superhero-sexual," says Jason. Percy flicks salt in his face.

"I doubt you'll be seeing his face any time soon," she says, rolling her eyes. "That's the point of the whole 'secret identity' thing." She pushes another curl of hair out of her face. Wearing her hair loose is _so_ annoying, but Annabeth doesn't want to take any risks: she wears her hair up in a ponytail when she's Grey Wind, and she doesn't feel like her mask covers her face enough. Using her hair to cover half her face during college hours is pissing off, but it might help keep her alter ego safe, so she can learn to deal with it.

Percy lifts his glasses up to his forehead, but they slip quickly back onto his nose. She knows she could make the glasses stay up near his hairline using her powers, but that would probably be a little much to handle for him.

He tries to shove his glasses up again, while Piper watches, chortling. It is downright infuriating how Percy doesn't look like a total idiot in glasses, but his eyes look less bright behind the lenses, and she likes to think that the glasses help prevent his gaze from staring right into her brain, picking apart her secrets. Maybe this way is better.

He's staring at her, now, though: maybe he's picked up on her irritation. Or maybe she's accidentally summoned the sugar to her hand telekinetically by mistake. She looks down at the table. The sugar is near Piper's elbow. She exhales. _Good._

"Annabeth," Percy says. His glasses fall back onto his nose. His expression is serious.

"What?" Internally, she is screaming. He's figured it out, is her first panicked thought, which is impossible, because Annabeth has left not even the slightest of hints to suggest that she is the superhero. Or that she likes him. To be honest, him figuring out either would be a total catastrophe.

"Buy me a milkshake," he says, his lips curving into the sunniest of smiles, and she's so relieved that she does.

/

Percy's late for patrol, as usual, and he arrives at their usual meeting place as quietly as he can, manipulating the wind to set him down lightly on the rooftop. He can sense Grey Wind's presence, even though he can't see her, and her aura reeks of annoyance.

"You're late," she says, becoming visible.

"If it had been an _actual_ date—" he says charmingly, trying for a dazzling smile, even though he knows it'll probably have no effect on her.

"I only go on dates with people I like," says Grey Wind bluntly. Her blonde hair, tied in its usual high ponytail, is whipping crazily in the wind, and her eyes, partially hidden by her mask, gleam good-naturedly. Percy thinks she looks gorgeous in the moonlight, even though, the next moment, she has vanished from sight again.

"That's cold," he says, and she sighs, making herself visible again just to roll her eyes at him, and Percy catches sight of the mist by her feet that hides her so effectively from everyone's sight.

He is about to sit down next to her when she suddenly turns visible and shoots to her feet, making him yelp in surprise. She points, and Percy follows her gaze to an alleyway, where a man has grabbed a woman's bag and is making a run for it. The woman tries to run after him, but there's the sound of a pistol being fired, and then a scream.

"Take the back," she tells him before vanishing on the spot; Percy sees silvery vapor flutter towards the alley, and he leaps into the air behind her, focusing on the water in the air. He wills the particles to solidify under his feet, and he zooms quickly to the crime scene, where he finds the woman in tears, clutching at her calf, where blood is oozing from the wound.

"You'll be okay," he tells her, twirling his fingers expertly around her leg. He wills the water to circulate, washing away the blood and even removing the bullet. The woman shrieks, but then bites her tongue bravely, breathing hard. She gazes up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Wait here, help is on the way," Percy says, lifting her up easily into his arms and using the water vapor to get him to the closest hospital, where he quickly summons a nurse. He sets her on a bench, maintaining his concentration on her wound and simultaneously reaching for his homing device and pressing it so that Grey Wind knows that he's done half of his job. She's probably contacted the police already, and hopefully she's caught the thief, too.

"Thanks, T-Typhoon," the woman manages as he gets to his feet, helping the nurse support her.

"Anytime," he says, with his usual grin. The woman blushes and the nurse smiles back, and Percy quickly turns on his earpiece to ask Grey Wind where she is; seems like she's the only one immune to his smile.

He finds her not far away, dodging the criminal's repeated punches. It's almost amusing to watch, because Grey Wind vanishes every time the man swings, only to reappear in a different place with the same sly expression. The man's blows grow more desperate with every attempt, and his legs seem ready to buckle. Grey Wind's fighting style is more of a patience thing than anything else, and even though Percy loves watching her take down evildoers, he can't help dashing forward, propelled by a powerful gust of wind, pinning down the man immediately.

"I had that," says Grey Wind, placing her hands on her waist and glaring at him.

"I know," he says, hauling the man underneath him upright and retrieving the purse. He glances at the guy. "Everyone knows she could've taken you, dude, sorry. I mean, I have you _seen_ her?"

"Please don't advertise me to criminals," she says with distaste. "And don't interrupt me during a fight."

"You were taking too long. Why didn't you just summon the gun from his hand?"

"His finger was still on the trigger, I didn't want him shooting anyone by mistake." She looks at him like this had been obvious.

The man opens his mouth, probably to ask what the fuck is going on, but Percy turns his attention back to his partner, who is brushing the dust of her grey-and-silver suit.

"One date," he tries, for the millionth time.

"You're being inappropriate," she shoots back.

He pushes the guy down to the ground again, pulling his arms behind his back and half sitting on him. "I'm just saying it'll be nice."

"And I'm just saying that you're not being appropriate. Try and be a bit more professional. We are still in the middle of a _job_ , since the police haven't taken him into their custody yet."

"Doesn't mean I can't flirt." In the distance, he can hear the wail of police sirens headed towards them. "Damn it."

"It means you _shouldn't_ ," she grumbles, heading towards the sound, hailing the closest police car over.

A few of the cars arrive, pulling up near them. Percy lets a cop replace him in detaining the criminal, getting off of him in the process. He watches as they cuff the man and pull him away before turning back to Grey Wind. "Wanna grab dinner?"

"Like this? Hell no."

"Ha!" he crows, "does that mean you would have dinner with me if we weren't our superhero-selves right now?"

"Still hell no," she says, but the tips of her ears are pink. "I'm just hungry, that's all, and we'd attract unwanted attention." She glances away. "Well, I've got things to do. See you." She vanishes before he can say goodbye, but he's pretty sure this is the first time he's seen her embarrassed, and he likes it.

He looks at his watch: it's well past midnight. Percy quickly stops at the hospital, where he deposits the woman's purse at the front desk before going to the apartment he shares with Jason, slipping into his room through the window. He's _so_ gonna be late for class tomorrow.

/

"You're late, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says when Percy slips into his seat next to her the next morning. He's one hour and fourteen minutes late, and the lecture is almost over.

Percy only yawns in response, covering his mouth with his hands. There are dark circles under his eyes. She almost feels sympathy for him, because she's just as tired, too, after last night, but she'd still made it to class on time and completed her assignments due for next week. Percy is just lazy.

The professor wraps up the day's lesson and leaves. Annabeth turns to Percy, who has opened his notebook just for show. "You do know you're paying to be here."

"Swimming scholarship, so not much paying, really," Percy mumbles, half-asleep. He watches the rest of the class file outside. Annabeth checks her watch; she has ten minutes for architecture and Professor Mosby isn't that strict when it comes to late arrivals.

"C'mon, we'll get a coffee," she tells him, pulling him to his feet. "Any more classes today?"

"One at two-thirty," he says, pulling out his phone. "But I really wanna go swim, so I might—" His phone beeps, and he groans. "Uh, actually, Annabeth, I've got something to do right now. Gotta, uh, meet Grover. For some, uh, thing."

Annabeth's phone beeps, too, and she looks quickly at the screen. Robbery at a jewelry store. Hostage situation. "Something came up for me, too. I'll see you tonight. Dinner?"

"Yeah," he says, "thanks for understanding." He runs away from her, and Annabeth waits until he's gone before rushing into the closest girls' bathroom. She runs into an empty cubicle, pulls on her superhero costume, and disappears.

She closes her eyes, willing the mist to transport her across town to where the scene of the robbery took place. There's a lot she doesn't understand about her powers, yet, but she knows the basics, and now she de-transforms, making herself visible, to where the police have set up a perimeter. She recognizes the Head of Police, Hylla Arellano, issuing orders, and Annabeth makes her way to where she stands.

"Anything I can do?" she asks.

Hylla turns. "Not much right now. We've got men trying to break in, but they've set up their own guards at every possible entrance, possibly expecting you. Where's your partner at?"

"Here, ladies," says a voice, and Typhoon drops between them from above. He grins crookedly, tilting his head. "I see I was missed."

Hylla looks on the verge of knocking him out. "I'll let you handle him," she grunts, and she walks away, commanding her officers to stand down for now.

"Hey, cold stuff—" He laughs at that, and she rolls her eyes. "Geddit? Because cold winds and mist and stuff?" He stops when she gives him a _shut-up-now_ look. "Uh, yeah, so. I think the report said there were three main guys robbing the store. I take out one, you take out one and whoever finishes first gets to take out the last guy?"

"Hostages, Typhoon. Hostages. You're forgetting we aren't just dealing with bank robbers and their crew. We also have to deal with civilians. And a bunch of staff, apparently," she chides. "You use your powers to get us in and distract the criminals, and I'll get the innocents out of the way, and then we go with your plan?"

He smiles. "This is why you're the brains." He lifts her in his arms.

"Oh my god." He's carrying her bridal-style. She wills the mist to wrap around her, turning her invisible. "Put me down. This is _so_ embarrassing."

"Aw, come on, that's no fun," he complains, but he sets her down again and uses the water to lift them both up, and they glide to what looks like a side entrance.

"Break it down," she tells him.

"You're stronger than me," he says. "Just kick down that door the way you kicked my ass that one time."

"That was a good day," she says, and he blows her a kiss as he glides upwards, waiting for his opening.

Annabeth turns invisible again and tries opening the door by hand, but it's locked, duh. She takes a few steps backward, whispers in Typhoon's general direction to get ready, and knocks the door down with a single kick.

The man behind the door is sent reeling backward, crying out in pain, as he reaches for his gun, looking around frantically for where she might be. Typhoon drops down, grabbing a hold of the top of the doorway and lunging forward, kicking the guy in the head, and using the water in the air to form a shield as he lands.

"Grey?" he whispers.

"Yeah," she whispers in his ear. All their time together has steeled his nerves and he doesn't even jump slightly at her sudden appearance by his side.

"D'you think they heard us?"

"You could've tried for a quieter kick," she says.

"You literally kicked the door on his face so hard he fall on his butt," Typhoon laughs. "Couldn't you have done it telekinetically?"

"Yeah, ripping the door off it's hinges would've been _very_ quiet."

"Point taken." He moves his arms in slow, fluid motions, drawing more water into the shield. "Let's go."

Four more men arrive the minute they round the corner, firing blindly. Typhoon lifts the shield, and Annabeth uses her powers to summon their guns to her: she kicks them out the door behind her. Typhoon dissolves his shield and taps his foot lightly on the ground, and the floor caves in. The men sink knee-deep into concrete and soil, and Typhoon uses the winds to lift them both down the hall.

"I'm going in," he says excitedly, breaking down the door before she has a chance to strategize. She watches him slip in, both amused and irritated, and waits to hear angry yelling from the criminals. When she hears the cries of "What the fu-" she rushes in, invisibly, and helps the hostages out as fast as she can. Typhoon is a great decoy, it's one of the reasons they work so well as a team. He's standing in the middle of the room, screaming profanities and blowing away every grunt that tries to approach with a gust of wind.

The second she gets the last hostage out, she uses her mind to take away every weapon owned by the men, which she collects in a large pile. Typhoon slams one guy against the wall across her so hard that she thinks she hears his bones break. Another man stirs behind her partner, getting to his feet slowly, and she wills a nearby chair to hit him in the gut. The guy crumples.

Typhoon turns. "Thanks."

"Got your back," she says, opening the front door to let the police in. "Nice teamwork, anyway."

"We could be more than just a team," he says suggestively, pulling her out of the doorway as the police file in, guns at the ready. They gaze around at the broken store.

"What the hell happened here?" one asks.

"My bad," says Typhoon. "I made the winds too strong for a store that's like, totally made of glass. Totally forgot that jewelry is—" He picks up the remains of a broken diamond necklace— "delicate." He winks at her. "I was distracted."

"I was invisible," she reminds him.

"Oh yeah. Fuck."

"Hostages are in the back room," Annabeth tells Hylla. To Typhoon, she says, "Okay, I've got to be somewhere."

"What about our dinner plans?"

"I feel like I've refused your offer to take me on a date before," she says. "I refused your offer to go on holiday together, too. Also a one-night stand."

"Two negatives make an affirmative," he grins.

"Don't," she says, and he laughs.

"See you when I see you," he says, and she doesn't see him darting over the skyline on her way to Percy's house.

/

Predictably, they both hog a large part of the newspaper the next day.

Percy can't take his eyes off Grey Wind's sleek figure, even though she's kinda blurry. "Man, she's _so_ hot. One day, I'm totally gonna ask her out."

"Okay," says Annabeth distractedly, turning another page of her notebook. She's not even looking at the road as she walks; her blonde hair keeps falling over her eyes and she keeps blowing it away, puffing her up cheeks in a kind of cute way.

"That's cute," he says, out of nowhere. And then he claps his hands over his mouth in horror.

"Huh?" she asks, looking up at him.

"Nothing." He lets his hands fall.

"You called me cute." She looks like she's not taking him seriously, which both relieves and slightly annoys him, but there's a bridge of pink covering the freckles on her nose, and she pulls her fringes down to hide the blush. And again he thinks, _that's cute._ She's cute.

Oh my _god_ —

He'd always known Annabeth was super pretty: in high school, she'd even caught the attention of Luke, the school hotshot, and had even dated him for a few years. Until he'd disappeared, and Annabeth hadn't shown interest in anyone since. He wonders if anyone has asked her out recently. He wonders if she likes anyone enough to say yes. The thought annoys him more than he'd expected.

"Uh, um. No," he replies, after what seems too long a pause, clearing his throat. "Just. The way your cheeks did that was kinda funny. Like a chipmunk."

"Oh." She shrugs. "Deal with it." She turns another page of her notes. The heat in her face has gone.

Percy opens the door to his apartment and watches as Annabeth collapses on the sofa, dropping the book on the floor so she can read it better. She's wearing shorts today, and _shit_ her legs are long, which, again, is something he's always known, in the back of his head, but apparently it's really hitting him only now. _Jesus._ He really shouldn't be staring at his best friend like this. It's so...wrong, because it's Annabeth, damn it. Annabeth, who he's known for a trillion years, who is too smart, too pretty, and just falt-out too good for him. Who has a very specific type which is the exact opposite of everything that is him. Annabeth, who has absolutely no interest in him whatsoever.

Also, liking someone else makes it feel like he's cheating on Grey Wind, which is even more ridiculous, because his superhero partner has rejected him more times than he can count.

Percy drops his back in his room. Jason isn't home: he has History till three. Percy kinda wishes he was here so he wouldn't be so fucking _distracted_ by his best friend's legs.

"I'm hungry," Annabeth calls.

"Dude, it's like one-thirty in the afternoon. Go to your own place and make some food." He knows she won't. She hates to admit it, but he's the better cook.

"Woah," he hears her say, "You have contacts?"

Percy feels his heart rocket up into his throat and he trips over his bed trying to get to the door, and when he hastily stumbles into the hallway, he finds her holding the case, and _thank god thank god thank god_ it's still closed.

"That's Jason's," he says.

"It literally has your name on it in permanent marker," she says, smiling.

Shit. "Oh, uh, yeah, I got them, but I don't use them..." he begins, but then he sees her make a gesture as it to open the case, and he flies forward, grabbing it kind of rudely from her hands. "They're such a pain." He laughs awkwardly.

"You should wear them," she says as he throws the small box onto the sofa. "Your eyes are such a pretty color, and you never clean your glasses, so they look ew. Almost brown. Which is a total waste."

"Nah," says Percy. He can't tell her that the contacts turn his eyes brown anyway, so he just adds, "too hard to maintain."

"I'll bet," she says rolling her eyes. "So, dinner tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I think Jason and Piper are planning a Lord of the Rings marathon," he says, walking to the kitchen and tossing her a slice of the French toast he'd made that morning. He makes himself a cup of cocoa.

"Is Piper making pasta?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"I'm _so_ there," she says, taking a bit of the toast. "Oh, yum. You're the best."

They settle on the sofa, Annabeth balancing her open architecture textbook and a plate of food on her stomach. She rests her feet on Percy's lap, which he ordinarily wouldn't mind, but recent events and, ahem, _realizations_ have made him think of himself as untrustworthy. "Move your legs."

"No." She studies his face. "Why do you look so constipated? Still thinking of dressing up as Grey Wind and saving the city?"

"What- _no_ ," he exclaims. He's pretty sure his face is pink, but luckily, she perceives his embarrassment differently.

"Typhhoon, then," she laughs. "Cosplay away. I won't judge. Go make his suit. Who cares if you can't see his face?"

Percy scratches the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, uhh..." He can't exactly say that he sees Typhoon's face every time he looks in the mirror, and that he's actually _got_ Typhoon's suit shoved away in his closet, so he just shrugs and adds more sugar to his cocoa. She knows him well enough to know that something is wrong, though, and he knows she is staring at him curiously; he fights to keep his expression blank.

She opens her mouth to speak, and Percy's already bracing himself for the worst. Truth be told, he's surprised that he's managed to keep his alter ego a secret from her for so long.

"Make me some cocoa," she tells him offhandedly. "And wear your contacts." She makes a sudden grab for the small box, which he's left on the arm of the sofa. His steaming cup of cocoa spills all over him. Percy yelps, darting to his feet and ripping off his shirt. His chest is all red.

"Shit," she says.

Percy kicks her out.

/

Annabeth really _had_ meant to go straight to Percy's place.

She hears the sirens just as she sees Percy emerging from the local supermarket, holding a huge bag of groceries. Cursing herself and praying he hadn't seen her, she ducks into a nearby alley, tying her hair up, and wiggles into her grey uniform right over the clothes she's wearing, which is careless, but hey, she has no time.

She arrives at the scene, only to find a dozen or so police vans already there. There is yellow tape warning civilians away from the area, but Annabeth uses the mist to phase through it. She jogs to Hylla, only stopping when she sees the body on the ground.

"Oh my gosh," she whispers, covering her face with her fingers. The body is of a middle-aged man with dark hair. There is a knife buried in his heart. His white shirt is stained reddish-brown with blood.

"Grey Wind!" Hylla approaches her, but places a hand on her back leads her away. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

There's a rush of wind and Typhoon is suddenly holding her arm, tight, and the pressure feels warm and comforting. He glances over his shoulder and winces.

"I-I didn't make it in time," Annabeth whispers. Her heart stings. This is her first time seeing something so terrible happen on her watch; this is the first time someone has _died_ on her watch, too, and suddenly there are tears in her eyes, for the man who has died, for his family who had probably thought he'd be safe, because there are superheroes protecting this city.

"Our Medical Expert places the wound sometime between twelve and two this afternoon," Hylla says. "There was nothing you could've done."

Somehow, that hurts more. At that time, Annabeth had been at Percy's place, spilling his cocoa all over the place. The thought makes her feel guilty. Next to her, Typhoon exhales shakily.

"What I mean is," Hylla hastens to correct herself, "is that you've done so much for this city already. You've stopped break-ins, saved citizens from fires...murders are a little more dangerous. We're more equipped to find the murderer, and we let it happen, too...it's just as much our fault as it is yours." She pats them both lightly on the shoulder. "Let us handle this one. For now, go get some rest."

"Okay," Typhoon says, coming to his senses. He steers her away, nodding at the Chief of Police; he nearly trips over a discarded bag of groceries, but he lifts them both into the sky, letting the winds carry them some distance away, until he finally rests them both down on the rooftop of a building close to Percy's.

"I wish I could do something," Annabeth bursts out. "I feel so-so useless."

"We can't do anything," he says. "Chief Arellano is right. They're more prepared to handle murders than we are. And there was nothing we could've done."

"I know. It's just..." She clenches her fist. "So you don't wanna do anything?"

"We can't," he argues. "Look, I hate this as much as you do, but we both don't know a thing about how to hunt down a murderer, we have no evidence of the killer, no clues to help us catch them..." He shrugs. "Hylla will call us if she needs help actually taking the guy down, but we don't have any leads ourselves. We don't have the expertise, nor the means, nor the know-how to find him. If we try and intervene, we'll just be getting in the way."

It makes sense and she hates it. "This sucks."

"We'll visit the family later."

"Yeah. Right now, I just wanna go home." She gazes away from him, towards Percy's apartment complex and her own not too far from it. Beyond, she can see the white-and-gold rooftops of the college building.

Typhoon follows her line of sight. "Wait, do you go to Olympus Uni too?"

"No," she says quickly.

"Doesn't matter," he replies, smiling. "I won't pry. Plus, like twenty thousand other people go there." He tilts his head at her. "Do you live on campus?"

"Close by," she murmurs.

"Hey, me too! Maybe we're neighbors." He grins at her, his eyes sparkling from behind his mask. In the dim lighting, they look a little different, more green than brown, but he shifts slightly so that his face is half-shrouded in darkness.

"I think I'd know if-" she begins, but then she realizes what he's been aiming for, and she punches him lightly in the chest. "Good job distracting me."

"Did it work?"

"A little. I still feel shitty," she says. "But thanks."

"I feel pretty shitty, too. And we're gonna get a lot of bad press after this," he replies. "But I still stand by what I said."

"I know." She gazes down the roof, at the traffic jam on the street below. "I guess I'll see you later."

She's half-expecting him to ask her out to dinner again, but he only waves, stepping off the roof of the building and gliding away. She doesn't watch for where he lands.

Annabeth kneels and pulls off her mask and costume, letting her hair cover her face. She stays on the rooftop for a while, listening to the cars below and trying to find a star in the cloudy sky. Her phone beeps, and she lifts the screen to her face. Percy's text says: _movie night l8r?_ which could not be more welcome, honestly, because there's still a dull pain in her chest and she needs to be alone right now, but she also really, really wants to see him.

Finally, she stands, and uses the mist to get herself to her apartment, where she buries her face into her pillow and cries.

/

Percy spends a lot of the next week patrolling.

He's a hypocrite, he thinks, especially after all he'd told Grey Wind about the murder not being wholly their fault, but his guilt eventually overcomes reason and he finds himself getting up at abnormal hours and sneaking out of the apartment. It's always calmer in the early hours of the morning, so Percy tries to do a round of the city, using the clouds as cover. He's stopped a ridiculous amount of crimes, too, from people trying to break into houses to attempted thefts of cars to vandalism. That should shut the media up.

He doesn't tell Grey Wind, though, who he meets every night for patrol. She seems guilty enough, and he knows she's been losing sleep by the way her eyes keep fluttering shut when they take a break. She might worry if she finds out that he's been working alone, putting himself at risk.

Eventually, Percy's staying up for hours on end, waking up at two in the morning and circling the city alone. He's still late for his classes, but Annabeth seems to have given up on yelling at him for it, and she seems too distracted to really confront him about it. He misses talking to her.

Percy yawns; it's five in the morning and the sun is beginning to emerge into the sky. He takes off his mask and hurriedly pulls on his jeans and changes into a t-shirt before emerging from behind the supermarket opposite his apartment, taking his contacts off quickly and shoving them into the case in his pocket. He's been carrying his contacts on his ever since he'd remembered he'd forgotten to wear them the night of the murder, which could've given a lot away had Grey Wind been calm enough to notice. He secures his backpack across his shoulder, grabbing his water bottle and sprinkling his hair with water. Now, he knows, he looks like he's on the way back from swim practice.

One miscalculation: he's left his glasses in his apartment, and he's too lazy to put his contacts back on now, but all he has to do is cross the road, and he can do that without—

 _Shit._

He's taken a step forward into the road almost unconsciously, and there's a bus heading right for him. He finds his legs unable to move, maybe because all the lack of sleep has left him devoid of energy, and he's too stunned to search for a single drop of water in the air to form a shield with. Move, he thinks to himself desperately, but he can't, and he's just standing there, watching the blurry headlights get brighter and brighter.

He closes his eyes, and he can hear the bus honking, and then he feels soft arms encircle his waist. A rush of wind, and he's thrown on his back onto the sidewalk, where he groans in pain, hurt, but still alive.

"Are you okay?" a familiar voice asks.

Grey Wind is standing above him, and all coherent thoughts are drained from his mind.

His first instinct is to respond with some kind of flirty for of thanks, but it seems like all his confidence has been extracted from him now that he's not wearing his mask, and so he just stares at her in awe, trying to think of something to say. He buys as much time as he possibly can, stomach wallowing in too many emotions, until the silence grows _way_ too awkward for him to cure.

"Um..." Oddly, she seems just as reluctant to speak as he. She picks up something close to his feet. His contact lenses case, but thankfully it doesn't seem to be broken. "These are yours?"

"T-Thanks." He tries to sit up, and she kneels next to him, pressing his ribs to check for a breakage. Hoping she can't hear the furious pumping of his heart, Percy allows her to lead him to the side of the grocery store, where she leans him against a wall. Her grey eyes are the same color as her suit, something he has never noticed, because he's never been this close to her as Typhoon. It makes him ridiculously nervous.

He takes the contacts from her, dropping them quickly into his bag before she notices his superhero clothes.

"Why aren't you wearing them?" Grey Wind asks, stepping away. There's a familiar irritation in her voice that he can't place. A blonde curl falls over her eyes and she blows it away; this seems familiar, too.

"They got dirty," says Percy, trying for a smile, but then his head starts to hurt, and he stops.

She doesn't miss his wince. "You're still hurt. I'll take you to a hospital."

"I'm fine," he insists, even though his head is spinning. "I'll just go home. Uh, though, maybe help me cross the road?"

"You're not a senior citizen," she says, but she's smiling. She's never smiled at him this way...at least, she's never smiled at _Typhoon_ this way. This genuinely. He feels his heart sinking, but there is a blush blooming slowly around his neck. It's a very conflicting feeling.

"Your smile is nice," he says aloud, and then he wants to die.

Grey Wind's eyes widen slightly. "W-What?"

"No, I mean, oh my god, I just, I'm so sorry," he blabbers in a fit of nervousness, pressing his forehead with his fingers. The throbbing gets worse. He hadn't expected it to feel this different without his mask. Without it, it feels like he is a fanboy meeting his favorite celebrity which, in a way, describes the situation perfectly.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," she says. "Should I take you home now? Where do you live?" She seems anxious to drop him off wherever and never see his (bruised) face again. He can't even blame her.

"I'm _so_ sorry," he says again, "I'm just...kinda a huge fan, and I'm just, like. Shit. This has kinda been a dream of mine. You're prettier in real life, and so, like, I can't even think." Once again, realizing that his mouth has betrayed him, he buries his face in his hands. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I swear I'm not like this in real life. I'm gonna stop talking now. Or forever."

She offers him a small smile. "Don't worry about it." Then she drops her gaze as if embarrassed. "Uh, I didn't get your name, though."

Percy just about has to pinch himself to stop himself from fainting on the spot. "It's Percy. Jackson."

"Nice to meet you," she says, helping him up easily and placing an arm around his waist to support him. Goosebumps erupt on his neck and travel all the way down to his feet. "You live close?"

"Just across the road," he says.

"Oh, okay," she says as they hobble to the road. "I could transport us using the mist, but I've never tried it with another person, and I don't wanna risk it now. Anyway, what were you doing up so early?"

"Swimming," he says automatically, and he sees her eyes dart to his damp hair.

"And you forgot to put your contacts on after?" she accuses as they stumble over the road.

"I told you, they got dirty." Grey Wind bites her lip, her face warping into an unreadable thing, eyes focused on the road. It's so impossible to tell what she's thinking, Percy's almost too afraid to speak.

There aren't a lot of people around, but those who see them stop and stare. Percy keeps his eyes on his sneakers as she pushes open the door to the apartment building. The night guard is fast asleep, and there's nobody by the elevator.

Percy glances sideways at her as she sets him against the wall and presses the down button; he finds himself straightening his shoulders out so he doesn't look as awkward and out-of-place as he feels. There's a rumble, and the elevator begins to descend. "Uh, though, mind if you keep this a secret? I've got a friend...well, she'd kill me if she knew I almost died because I didn't wear them."

She smiles at him and makes a motion of zipping her lips and throwing away the key. Oh my god, what a dork, Percy thinks. I love her.

The elevator opens with a small ding, and Percy manages to get halfway inside without feeling too woozy. He places a hand on the doors, preventing them from closing. "Thank you, Grey Wind."

"Look both ways before you cross the street next time." She grins. "And you're welcome, Percy," she adds, waving her hand in goodbye, and then Percy has leaned forward and pressed her lips to hers.

Immediately, he thinks, oh my god I just totally invaded her space. Only everything feels so _right_ and he loves this feeling too much to do the right thing and punch himself in the face.

He feels her stiffen under him, but then she kind of sighs and melts, kissing him back for a single, glorious moment, and Percy's world explodes into a thousand colors. His free hand reaches up to touch her cheek, and every particle that is in him is vibrating in celebration, because oh my god, he has only dreamed of this happening. Half of him still can't believe what he's just done, what he's still _doing_ , and when he pulls away, his eyes wide, blood thundering through his veins, his first instinct is to apologize for being such a creep, but then he blinks and she has vanished; all that remains of her is the sparkling grey mist that soon disappears out the door.

/

 **percy** [10.06 am]: where are you. i can't believe you missed class omg

 **percy** [10.06 am]: srsly wru

 **percy** [10.07 am]: PLS GET YOUR ASS HERE I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU OMFG I LITERALLY TOUCHED HEAVEN

 **percy** [10.09 am]: fine be like that

 **percy** [10.12 am]: okay so lotr marathon tonight ok. piper and jason aren't coming but piper said she'll leave pasta sO YOU'RE HELPING ME FINISH K

Annabeth throws her phone into the laundry out of sheer frustration, cursing herself for her inability to make an edible pancake, her cowardice, and literally because she's such the shittiest piece of shit to have ever lived.

She'd been patrolling the city invisibly since three that morning, and had been on the way home when she'd seen Percy, frozen, standing in the middle of the road as a bus hurtled toward him at a frightening speed. All because he hadn't been wearing the goddamn contacts he'd refused to show her earlier.

She should've just dropped him off at the hospital. She shouldn't have let him talk into... _everything_ , honestly. Ughhhhhhhhhh she should've just dropped him off at the hospital.

Another failed pancake goes into the trash. Annabeth touches her lips warily with her hand. It still feels surreal that she's kissed Percy, which, admittedly, she's wanted to do for a while, and he hadn't even been kissing her. Not _her_ her. Grey Wind her. And then she'd turned invisible and fled like the freaking coward she is.

And now Percy wants to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies, and he'll probably be telling her everything about meeting his crush the whole time. Eight hours of Percy gushing about kissing her. She's not gonna be able to make it.

Not knowing what to do with herself, Annabeth puts on her mask and turns herself invisible, climbing out the window, flicking her wrist to lock the door of her room from the inside. She scales the roof of her building and leaps off the edge, trying to lift herself using her psychic powers. She succeeds somewhat, understanding that it's more a question of lifting herself with respect to her environment rather than actually flying, but ends up sitting down on a taller office building, watching the people down below.

There's a whirl of wind and cloud somewhere to her right, and Annabeth spies Typhoon descending toward her. He lands lightly next to her and she turns visible.

"'Sup," he says casually.

"Nothin'," she mumbles. "I might have somewhere to be, but I'm hiding out here instead."

"Me too, but I just couldn't sit still," he grins.

"You're happy," she observes, wishing his mood was infectious.

"I am," he agrees. "For no real reason, though," he adds quickly, interpreting her questioning look correctly. His eyes meet hers, and he looks away quickly. She raises an eyebrow: this is new. The pink on his ears is new, too.

His happiness kind of annoys her, so she stands to leave. "See you later."

"You're going to the place you have to be?"

"Yes," she says, realizing she means it. She's gotta face Percy at some point, so she might as well do it now. "I'll see you for patrol tomorrow." She flies herself back to her apartment without waiting for a goodbye, and only wonders if she's ready to see her best friend after she's knocked on his door. She's been doing a lot of stupid things without thinking lately; it's a habit she needs to stop.

There's a small thump from behind the closed door. "Coming!" Percy calls. Annabeth pulls her bangs over her eyes.

He pulls the door open, blinking rapidly like there's dust in his eyes. "Hey, Wise Girl," he says warmly. "Sorry, I fell asleep, I'll be ready in a minute—" And that's when Annabeth realizes he's shirtless, which is _just_ what she needs right now. She feels her breath hitch, and she slips through the door, her eyes determinedly fixed on a point away from him.

Heading over to the couch with a bowl on Piper's pasta in her arms, Annabeth turns on the television, where Lord of the Rings is already playing. Percy — now wearing a shirt that says _Bazinga!_ — sits next to her with a fork in his hand, and begins another attempt to speak Elvish.

Thankful for the distraction, Annabeth focuses on the pasta and the movie. Lord of the Rings is familiar territory: they've watches these movie so much that she knows most of the dialogue. Percy knows it, too, but he ends up messing up repeatedly and growing increasingly frustrated, so much so that it brings tears of laughter to her eyes.

After her chuckles dies down and Percy stops cursing at the scriptwriters, he slings an arm around her shoulders. "Tell me a story, Annabeth."

"We've got two movies to go," she reminds him.

"Tell me a story about _you_ ," he continues, ignoring her completely. She pokes him in the side. "I feel like we haven't talked in a long time."

"We literally talk every day," she grumbles. "And besides, I much prefer hearing you talk about your problems than talking about my own."

"I heard that Mike guy asked you out," he says nonchalantly, and Annabeth chokes on her pasta.

"Piper told you?" she hiccups.

"Why'd you say no?"

That stops her cold. "No reason." He looks at her, and she looks back. They look away at the same time.

"Liar." Of _course_ he'd know she's lying. "Why'd you say no? You like someone else, right?" He glances at her; she's shoveling forkful after forkful of pasta in her mouth in complete panic. "I _knew_ it. Who is he?"

She shrugs noncommittally, her mouth so full she can't breathe.

"Asshole," he tells her. His eyes are kind of clouded over behind his glasses, but he smiles, turning his gaze back to the movie, where Frodo has just pulled Sam out of the river. He's still not looking her in the eye, and his arm has tightened around her. Maybe he's actually _jealous_ , she thinks, and the thought turns parts of her into very, very ugly, hopeful little things.

"Just...he's dumb if he doesn't ask you out," Percy says.

"You're dumb," she mumbles.

"Not the point," he says, and she rolls her eyes; she'd practically spelled it out for him but he hadn't caught it. Another one of her stupid, impulsive, too-risky choices.

"So," she says, swallowing down the pasta and her disappointment, "what'd you want to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah." He seems kind of reluctant. "I-I..." He takes a breath. "Kissed. Uh. IkissedGreyWind."

"Seriously?" Annabeth asks, trying for disbelief, even though she knows for a fact that he's not lying. She pulls her sweater up to her nose. Her whole face feels hot.

Percy seems to be facing a similar kind of embarrassment. "I had no idea what I was doing...I-I just literally couldn't help it. And I blew it, Annabeth, I was such a weird creep to her. I'm not usually like that. I totally just... _abandoned_ the idea of personal space, but like, I...dunno. I couldn't help it." He buries his face in a cushion. "I literally have no explanation."

"Uh," she mumbles, "good for you, I guess. You just fulfilled a lifelong dream."

"Ohmygod, stop," he whimpers. "I feel like such a fucking moron for doing it. I was being _such_ an idiot around her, too. Like, worse than Leo-around-Calypso stupid. But like, I legit couldn't stop myself. She's just so-so _cool_."

"She is pretty cool," Annabeth admits. "And if you feel so bad, go apologize. Run around the city holding a sign." She can't help grinning. "I hope she knocked your ass on the floor after you made such a desperate move on her." She really should've done it.

"That's the thing, though." He turns to her, ignoring the blaring music from the TV. His eyes are shining. "She kissed me _back_. And it was awesome. And her lips are really soft. And she smelled like lemons. And she walked me home." He pauses, then says again, "She kissed me _back._ "

"No way," says Annabeth in a monotone, shoving more food in her mouth.

"I know, right? I can't believe it." He sighs almost dreamily, and the smile on his face is so Disney-princess-esque that it makes her snort despite the lead pooling in her chest. "Why'd she kiss me back, though? Maybe that means she... _didn't_ hate it." He breathes so hard his glasses get fogged up. "Oh my god. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod—"

"Oh my god," she mimics, "shut _up."_

He flicks her ear. "At least pretend to be happy for me."

"I am," she says semi-honestly. "It's not very often that someone gets to kiss a superhero, after all."

"I know. I hope you get to have an awesome kiss with your crush, too," Percy says in a cheery voice that practically oozes sunshine, like he's being really generous. "Everyone deserves that." Ugh. She wants to knock him out. She _could_ knock him out.

"Sure," she says, excusing herself to the bathroom, where she splashes her face with water and wonders what the hell prompted her to come over in the first place.

/

Percy wakes up to the sound of Annabeth burning toast.

Morning light is seeping through the cracks between the blinds, causing shadows to be cast on nearly every surface. It feels too empty, too quiet, and he is struck with a sudden bout of loneliness.

"Good, you're awake," she says, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Take care of this. I have class."

Percy doesn't have class until one-thirty. He closes his eyes again. "Please don't leave me."

"I need to go to class."

"Don't go to class."

"I _have_ to go to class," she snaps. "That's how I make good grades."

"You took all the warmth," Percy complains, realizing that he's still on the couch, a very thin blanket draped loosely over him. Annabeth starts up the coffee maker, and he sighs loudly, giving up in his attempt to fall sleep again, feeling much too awake now. Morning people, he thinks. How they manage to form words at such an hour is beyond him.

He turns onto his side to watch Annabeth stare at the coffee machine like it's her lifeline, her blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders in a curtain of yellow and gold. His gaze wanders over her, just as it had the night before, lingering on her bare legs for much longer than was appropriate. They're long. Long like Grey Wind's.

She raises an eyebrow at him when she notices the staring, and he quickly lifts his arm. "Make me a cup."

"Make me french toast."

"No."

"Then no coffee," she says easily, lifting the newspaper. No Grey Wind and Typhoon on the cover today. It's kind of refreshing. Which reminds him:

"Grey Wind's suit is more silver than grey," he tells her. She sighs, like _here we go again._ "Why isn't she called Silver Wind?"

"Silver Wind is a Pokemon attack," Annabeth says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Or maybe she's just going through a Game of Thrones phase, like everyone else in the world. Makes her name easier to remember." She glances quickly at her watch. "Okay, I gotta go. There's an extra cup of coffee for you, idiot."

"I love you," he says loudly, without thinking.

She snorts. "We both know that's not true," she says, laughing, like it's a joke, but there's an edge to her voice that suggests otherwise. Before he can ask about it, though, she's slammed the door behind her.

Percy turns around to lie on his back. It still hurts from when Grey Wind had knocked him onto the pavement, saving his life in the process.

"Don't fall for your best friend, Percy," he tells himself aloud, hoping that it'll sound more convincing than when he'd repeated it in his head. "It's bad for you."

"What's this about falling for your best friend?" says a voice, and Percy sits up. Jason wanders into the kitchen from his room, yawning, and takes a big gulp of Percy's coffee.

"Dickhead," Percy yells.

"Shut up. You love me. You just said so, too." Jason takes another sip. "Wow, it's amazing how Annabeth can't even make a sandwich, but her coffee is the best." He lances over at Percy, who feels even less inclined to stay awake now that both Annabeth and his coffee are gone. "So what's this about you being in love with me?"

"Shut up," Percy says, turning away.

Jason literally clambers over him on his way to the armchair, where he settles down, a steaming mug cradled in his hands. "No, but seriously. Did something happen between you two last night? Because I came back home and you two were being all cuddly on the sofa—" he hugs a cushion— "like this, and the Return of the King credits were rolling. Like, dude, it was fucking _adorable."_

"What?"

"I _know._ And you know I don't call many things adorable."

"No, what, I mean- that was _you_ who put the blanket over me?" Percy winces. He doesn't even remember finishing the movie, much less falling asleep with Annabeth right next to him. "Why didn't you wake us up?"

"And ruin the adorable, completely domestic cuddling? No way," Jason snorts, reaching for his phone and opening his gallery. He holds the picture out to Percy. "See?"

"Jesus." The picture shows Percy and Annabeth asleep on the couch just a few hours ago: Annabeth's head is tucked into the nape of his neck, his nose is pressed into her hair, and his arm is loosely slung around her waist. His glasses are askew, and her lips might actually be touching his shoulder.

Oh, man. He remembers it now, the feeling of Annabeth's back pressed close against his own as he desperately tried to ignore _something_ inside him that had sprouted and begun to grow, and suddenly, he feels every part of his body tingle, like a delayed reaction from her touch. He even thinks he can catch the traces of her citrus shampoo. The feeling is weird. He doesn't really know what it is. All he seems to understand is that there's a weight pressing his chest, and he's going to have to get rid of it somehow.

Jason takes his phone back. "Adorable."

"Shut up." For the second time that week, Percy wants to die. " _Please_ don't send that to Piper."

"Aw."

"I will literally rip you apart," Percy threatens, shoving his glasses onto his nose properly. "Like, you know I love Piper and all, but I don't want her prying into my head when I dunno what's going on in there myself." He glances at Jason. "Is it even possible to like two people at once?"

"I guess." Jason's expression turns a little sour, and Percy knows he's thinking of Reyna, but he's too agitated to care.

"I...don't know what's happening," he says, getting up, walking around the room in a full circle. "Like. I never used to like Annabeth as anything more than a friend, but I can't stop thinking about her these days, and it's driving me _nuts._ I...guess...I like her? I think. Yeah." It feels good to say it aloud. Liberating.

"Good start," Jason calls.

"But I like someone else, too," he moans, running his hands through his hair. "And Annabeth likes someone else. What do I even do. How do I even life right now."

"You, Perseus Jackson, are the stupidest person to ever walk this planet," Jason announces. "Like, seriously. You're a blind bat in the simplest fucking maze in the universe, and you've got, like ultrasonic hearing, and you still can't figure it out."

Percy sighs in frustration. "I need some air," he says, grabbing his jacket and leaving the place.

/

After leaving Percy's place, Annabeth had literally rushed into the elevator and pressed every button, just to give her some time to breathe.

She'd woken up in his arms. And it had been the best sleep of her life.

She doesn't remember much, to be honest, but she'd woken up to the sound of the alarm on her phone, and then she'd noticed that Percy's lips were _right there._ Needless to say, she'd had war flashbacks and had jumped away, breathing heavily. She'd passed Jason's room on her way to wash up, and Jason had looked up as she crossed, grinning and giving her a thumbs-up. She'd been _this_ close to enchanting the basketball lying on the floor to smack him in the face.

She'd made it, thankfully, in time for class, which Professor Granger is close to wrapping up, now. When she finishes, leaving the room with a dignified sigh, Annabeth makes her way back home, declining Rachel's invitation for lunch.

She's literally rounding the corner to the apartment complex when she sees Percy at the opposite side of the road, waving at her in greeting. He steps onto the road to meet her, and her eyes widen in warning, her mouth open in a scream. There's a pizza delivery guy zooming toward him in the wrong direction, and Percy hasn't seen him coming.

"Ugh," Annabeth murmurs, vanishing on the spot and willing her jeans and shirt to melt away into her Grey Wind's sleek outfit, a trick she can manage only if she concentrates hard enough: people see what they want to see, after all.

She propels herself forward, grabbing Percy off the road and lifting him away onto the closest rooftop. There are _ooh_ s and _aah_ s from the crowds of people below. It's the first time she's flown with someone else in public, but this is no time to marvel at her own capabilities.

"Woah." Percy staggers. "Tha-"

"Seaweed Brain, you _idiot,"_ she snarls, and he takes a step backward. "I thought I told you to look both ways before crossing the street."

His expression changes from slightly hurt to total horror, and she feels a little guilty. Yes, maybe she'd overreacted, but she's sick of seeing her best friend almost dying on her watch, especially when it's about something as stupid as crossing the road.

She's about to apologize when he whispers, "Wha-what did you call me?" and Annabeth realizes the horror on his face is for a whole different reason.

"I-I..." For the first time in her life, she can't think of anything. She has no excuse, no preplanned lies. Her only choice is to turn invisible, and then move out of the country. "I gotta go."

"Annabeth, don't run!" Percy yells, with such force that it makes her stop.

Her reaction to him yelling her name seems to confirm it for him. Again. "Oh, fuck." He runs a hand through his hair, making it stand straight up. Like porcupine spikes. "Jesus."

"I know...I know I should've told you," she blurts out. "I-I just didn't know if it would put you in danger, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be responsible for it if you did, and I didn't want to burden you with this kind of a secret, and-and..." There are actual tears welling up in her eyes. "And you kissed me, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, I really wanted to, I just...didn't wanna disappoint you, I guess? Like, I knew, I mean, I know how much you liked Grey Wind, and I-I'm just—" She places her hands on her head, realizing in doing so that she hadn't even tied her hair up Grey Wind style. Stupid. _Stupid stupid stupid stupid_ _—_

"Shut up," he says. "Shut up."

She does.

He tosses something at her, which she almost misses, but she tilts her wrist with a subtle movement, and the keys fly straight into her palm.

"Come to my apartment," he says. "Now. No arguments. Jason's gone."

"Percy..." She sniffles. "What-?"

"You'll see. Now go."

"Uh, okay." She lifts them both down to the ground, and then turns herself invisible, flying up alongside the fire escape. She stops at Percy's room and, with a flick of her fingers, the window opens. She clambers inside, wiping her eyes, with her hands, and, when that doesn't work well enough, using Percy's blanket to wipe the rest of her face. The room smells incredibly like him, like apples and an ocean breeze, and she has to bite her tongue to stop herself crying again.

There's a jangle from outside the apartment and Percy walks in, shutting the door behind him. His face is unreadable, but he doesn't look too angry. Still, guilt gnaws at her.

"I'm _so_ sorry—" she begins.

Percy just snorts at her. He nods at the key in her hand. "Open my cupboard."

She stands up obediently, opening the closet and gazing at row after row of his clothes. _What kind of punishment is this?_ she's thinking, but then again, maybe he's gonna lock her inside. She deserves it.

"Feel around in the back," he says.

"It's just wood," she sniffs, but then she gasps when something cold and metal touches her palm. Something with a keyhole.

"Open it," Percy says, sitting down on his bed like he's getting ready to enjoy the show. There's a spider inside, she figures. A tarantula, or something even worse.

She thrusts the key in the keyhole and turns it. There's a small click, and the miniature metal door swings open, to reveal a black-and-blue suit, and a mask of a darker shade. She...she _knows_ this suit.

"What is this?" she asks, astounded, because it can't mean what her mind is telling her it means. She can't bring herself to meet Percy's eyes, because surely this is a colossal joke. Surely she can't have been this stupid, for this long. Surely Percy isn't-isn't...

"How am _I_ the idiot here?" Percy grunts, standing next to her and pulling the clothes out. He walks to the mirror, where he pulls out the tiny white box that Annabeth knows holds his contacts, only she's never seen him wear them. Until now.

When he turns back to her, contacts in place, Annabeth gasps. His eyes are brown, now. Brown like polished wood. _Typhoon_ brown. He grins, holding up the mask in front of his face to give her the idea.

Annabeth is pretty sure she's stopped breathing.

Percy exhales, lying down on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. "We are so stupid. We are so fucking stupid. I hate this. I hate us."

Annabeth takes off her mask and wills her outfit to turn back into her normal clothes. Percy doesn't even bat an eyelid when she curls up next to him, still sniffling. He pats her head clumsily.

"We are dumb idiots," he says.

" Yeah…" she starts in a whisper, fingers tapping against her thighs. It's never been this awkward between them, ever. It's as if every day they'd spent together, every moment of acquaintances to friends has just been for nothing, and she's never wanted to physically punch the static of silence so much.

"Don't apologize again," he warns, and Annabeth closes her mouth, cutting off the dozen _sorry_ s she'd been about to unleash.

"Hey, Annabeth. Why did you let me kiss you?" Percy asks, sitting up and turning to her.

She feels a pink tinge travel across her face. "You must be really stupid if you even have to ask that."

He grins, laying back down again, this time closer. "I know. It's just that you're cute when you blush." He laughs at her horrified expression. "I feel like I've told you that before."

"At least I can turn invisible around you now," she grouses, and Percy laughs, softly at first, and then louder, until he's guffawing so loud the shelves begin to rattle.

He stops after a while, turning to face her, and literally holding her face down with his palm, squelching her cheeks against his blanket, forcing her to look at him, too. "Okay. So?"

"So nothing," she mumbles. It's hard to speak with his hand pushing her down into the mattress.

"Shut up," he says. "We _like_ each other, and this is huge, because nobody's ever liked me at the same time as I've liked them. Shouldn't we be dating, or something?"

"But you don't like _me_ ," she says, trying— and failing — to lift her head. "You like Grey Wind."

"And you."

She feels the tears coming again, and she forces them back. "Don't."

"Don't what?" he demands. "I'm being serious. I'm pouring my heart out here, and you'd better listen, goddamn it."

"Just...don't," she says, wiggling under the pressure and trying to breathe something that's not his blanket. "I don't need your pity, okay? It's just a stupid crush and I can get over it, so, like, you can stop making up th-these _lies_ to make us both feel less crappy, and—" she tries to wipe her eyes. "Just leave me be, okay?"

"Oh my god, you moron," Percy whispers suddenly, bringing his face very close. She sees the corners of his lips jerking upwards; she probably looks like a fish right now, and she doesn't think she can take any more humiliation.

"Look," he explains, in a level voice, "I liked Grey Wind. Yeah. I liked all the qualities you had that were just...more pronounced in her. I guess it was more of an admiration thing than anything, but that's why I was such a flirt with her. With you." He takes a breath. "But...I dunno. Lately, I'm pretty sure I'd started to fall for you, too...and then I got confused, because Grey Wind, I mean, _you,_ let me kiss you, and then I got even more confused, because you said you liked someone else, but I liked you..." He blinks. "Like, if you need proof, ask Jason. I think I really freaked him out today morning."

She gazes at him. "You're lying."

"I'm not," he says, and his gaze is steely and steady, and she knows he's not lying. Because it's Percy, and he never lies to her.

"Okay," she whispers.

He smiles, and it's relieving, because with this, somehow, their relationship is no longer regressing but is instead back to some semblance of normalcy, and the stupidity of the whole thing catches Annabeth off-guard. As long as they both acknowledge the ridiculousness of their situation, it should be fine.

The silence that wedges between them is comfortable now, at least, settles softly like dust through cracks of sunlight. She smiles back, and suddenly his hand is holding her face in a completely different way.

She blinks. He blinks. She rolls her eyes, and then they're _kissing._

This one feels different, it feels more _real_ , and just as they are out of breath Percy's started to laugh again, and, before she can catch herself, Annabeth finds herself laughing, too, more freely than she has in months.

"I can't believe I didn't see it was you," he howls.

"I can't...I can't believe you called me _cold stuff,"_ Annabeth wheezes, and Percy laughs so hard he rolls off the bed.

When their laughter has died for the time being, Percy sits up on the floor and tugs at her hand, bringing her closer. She plops down on the floor next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This is really fucked up," Percy remarks, "but I'm glad it happened."

"That makes one of us," she says, half-laughing, but then Percy leans down to kiss her, and the rest of her retort is completely forgotten.

/

For some reason that he can't place, sleep doesn't come easy to Percy, and so he lies awake in bed, alight with contagious excitement.

When it's morning, he rushes outside, grabs a bagel for himself and some donuts for Annabeth from the nearest cafe, and, after making sure nobody's looking, he lifts himself on a cool morning breeze and guides himself to Annabeth's window. He knocks loudly until she appears at the window, glaring sleepily.

"Dork," she mumbles. "It's a Sunday. Leave me alone." Still, she opens the window to let him through, and he does, exhaling when his feet touch her bed. Annabeth closes the window behind him and lies back down, but Percy simply slides into the him-shaped space beside her, feeling the warmth she gives off even through the sheets.

"Hey," he whispers. "Let's go on a date."

"Mmmhmm?" she mumbles, and he can hear the smile in her voice. "Where?"

"I was thinking I'll take you someplace high up. I'll take you windsurfing. So high up we can see the whole city at once."

"Percy, that's _patrol,_ " Annabeth laughs, summoning her stuffed owl to hit him in the head.

"Shut up, it's super romantic."

She sits up, yawning and stretching, and sighs when his arm encircles her. "Make me french toast."

"No," he tells her, and she laughs. She drags him out to the kitchen, holding the box of donuts in one hand, and Percy picks up the paper, where he and Annabeth stand side-by-side after nabbing a wanted criminal.

" _Man_ ," Percy gushes, "Look at her. She's so hot. Have you _seen_ her legs?"

He sees them, now, as she aims a clumsy kick at him; he darts out of the way. He can smell that she's burning the toast already, so he tells her coffee is enough, thanks, even though she glares at him when he says it.

"Any plans today?" she asks.

"None," he says. "Unless you wanna go on that date."

Before she can respond, their phones both beep. He gazes at his. Fire across town. He looks back at her: she looks almost annoyed that she's having to leave the apartment without taking even a single sip of coffee.

"My plans sound pretty good now, huh?" He grins. "Still up for it?"

"I'll think about it," she says, and vanishes from sight. He assumes she's left the place already, but he hears her footsteps rush back to him. He thinks that maybe she's going to give him a kiss, but all she does is lift a donut from the box and rush away again.

"Race you!" she calls, leaping through the kitchen window. She turns visible for a split second when she's outside, sticking her tongue at him and taking a huge bite of the donut.

What a dork, he thinks, standing up to follow. I love her.

/

* * *

 **a/u:** I LITERALLY WROTE THIS IN TWO DAYS AND IT'S SO LONG. HOW EVEN.

but anyways this is for mari (percyyoulittleshit on tumblr) because she helped me out with this tons and also to make her feel better *hugs*

drop a review if it's good, means a ton :)


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